Cyanogen's Advice to becoming an Android Devloper

I'm always browsing the forums on XDA and there is a special area that they call Chef Central. The idea was to create a separate and centralized area where developers and sites can spread information without cluttering up the normal development sections of the forums. AndroidSPIN has a thread in that section where we try to keep people up to date on anything we think is relevant to the developer community.

While browsing today, I noticed a post from Cyanogen that I hadn't noticed before, even though it's been there for a long time...LOL, I decided to share the post and I'm pretty sure that Cyanogen won't mind. Its a great overview of where to start and what to read if you want to start developing for the Android platform. There's some excellent links to information/documentation that are necessary reading for any wanna be Android developer.

Here's what he had to say:

Some advice..

I really dislike the "chef" moniker when it comes to Android, since we are more of an open-source community. I think it implies a "file pusher" mentality. But then again, I am biased against proprietary versions of Android like Sense, so feel free to disregard all of this.

Here's my advice for those looking to make their own Android ROMs.. Stop. Write an app or two first, learn how the system works from a developer standpoint. Learn some Java. Read the developer documentation. Learn how to use Git. Then learn how to build AOSP from source. Read the porting guides, and learn how the build system works (the links below have almost everything you could possibly want to know). Now try to put your new found skills to work on enhancing the platform by writing code or making theme overlays. And share! And put that shit on your resume. There is a *ton* of information out there but any kind of "step-by-step rom cooking guide" is going to be a complete fail- it's too broad of a subject.

The PDK site is absolutely vital if you are going to work on custom ROMs. Read every single page. Twice. Some of the info isn't up to date, but you'll get a really good idea about what goes into actually configuring Android to work on a real device.

Chris founded and started Androidheadlines.com website in 2009 and grew it into the international success it is today and is the CEO of the business today. Chris has been an entrepreneur most of his life running several businesses, startups and worked in the website technology Industry since 1998. His skills and assets are Business, Finance, Emerging Technology and the Mobile Industry including everything Android and Google related and more. Contact him at [email protected]